	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

WASTE MANAGEMENT PHOENIX OPEN

January 31, 2015

Brooks Koepka

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA

THE MODERATOR: We welcome Brooks Koepka to the Waste Management Phoenix Open media center. 64 today. What would you attribute to your success there on the golf course today?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Drove the ball a lot better today. The first few days I was kind of all over the map. Didn't hit a fairway but drove the ball well. I made a bunch of changes in my putting stroke and I'm starting to see the results. It's nice.

Q. How much do you think the success of one 20-something-year-old is feeding everyone's success in their 20s? I mean, are you guys trying to keep up with one another and be lifting everyone's performances?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah. You know, the way Rory is playing, the way Fowler is playing, everybody else has to step it up. Even Patrick. Guys are getting in contention and they are winning, and to keep up, you better do the same thing.

Q. From your extensive journeys, is the break you had from Nedbank coming into Phoenix, is that the biggest chunk you have had off in quite a while? And is that maybe one reason why you're 3-over on the par-5s going into today?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah. You know, I think it had a little bit to do with it. I needed the break, first off. I had played so much over the last two years. Got a little tired of golf, to be honest with you. Tired of the travel. It's been a long two years. But the break is good for me. Even the week before Turkey, when I won, just took the whole week off. Went on vacation. Didn't touch a club. The more rest I have, usually the fresher I come out. But as far as the par-5s go, it's just a little bit of rust, just not playing in two months. Felt like today I was finally comfortable. Being out there the last two days, it was almost like I was trying to find the driver a little bit, but...

Q. I know you have won in Europe, but is it possible at your age to feel like you're falling behind not having a victory out here when Jordan and Patrick and others have?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Not so much out here; just a win in general. I felt like I have given up four or five wins already, whether it be Frys two years ago or a couple in Europe. But just trying to keep up with those boys, you've got to play well. They have got a little more, couple more tournaments over here in the States under their belt than I have. You look at Rory now. I mean, I don't know how many events he's played, but I'm sure he's five times, ten times as much as I have in my pro career. But I'm just finding my way right now, and, you know, everything is in the right track. I've got a good team behind me. We're working hard.

Q. Were there any highlights from the off-season or break that you had that you might want to share? And when did you really start to get dialed in for this event?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Well, first off, I just relaxed, took it easy, went out on the water, had a good time. I'm very chill. Stayed at home and enjoying time with family and friends and stuff like that. As far as starting to play, from Sun City, I think that was the first week in December till maybe about January, week into January started touching the club, getting back into it. Worked with Claude, my coach, for a bit and putting coach Jeff who I just started working with. Just started making a bunch of changes just in the putting. As far as coming back, everything felt the same.

Q. You went a month without touching a club at all?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah. It was great. It was unbelievable. Gotta get away from golf. I think for me, having a life away from the golf course is good. You know, you're around it so much. You're out here for half the year just playing, basically, traveling, doing the things you need to do, but even on weeks off, I go home and won't touch a club for a week. Maybe hit balls once before I come back out. If I've got a four- to five-week stretch, two on, one off, two on, I'll just take that week off.

Q. And of the baby steps or any steps you have taken, whether it's the Challenge Tour promotion or Pinehurst or Turkey, at what point did real belief kick in?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, I would say maybe towards the middle of last year when I kept putting myself in contention in Europe. I just couldn't close the deal, unfortunately. But I learned a lot from it, and I think now I understand what it takes to win and what it takes to put yourself in contention. You've got to be there on the back 9 come Sunday.

Q. What was your biggest disappointment?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I would say Frys two years ago, between that and Switzerland, Crans-Montana, missing -- it just came down to missing short putts. My putting stroke wasn't where it needed to be, and short game wasn't where it needed to be. And that's where Pete Cowen and Jeff have really helped me, trying to fine-tune everything.

Q. I know you said you're just trying to keep up with these boys. How do you do that but still run your own race, if you will, and keep the big picture in mind that you still are, you know, 24?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, like I said, I just started a career, and just trying to put myself in contention. It's going to happen. You know, you're going to have failures and you're going to have success, but as far as keeping up with these guys, you just gotta grind it out. You know, we have all played golf against each other since we have been 12, 13, 14 years old, so we all kind of grew up with each other, playing against each other. We all know how good we are, but it's just about getting it done on Sundays.

Q. Give us a few more details on the putting changes, especially the most recent ones that have you on track here.
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah. The stroke under pressure, it was going left. And if you look back at all the short putts I have missed they have all been left. That just is due to my stroke, just loop it and pull it back in. Wasn't finishing the stroke, wasn't getting the putter high enough in the finish. But now everything seems to be on track and the ball is actually rolling end over end. I'm going to start to see a lot more 20- to 25-footers roll in, and I have this week.

Q. How recent were those changes? This week or last month or last year?
BROOKS KOEPKA: We peeked at it a little after the win in Turkey just because they saw some things they didn't like. Really, since first week in January when I got back, just working hard on those things and it's starting to pay off.

Q. Did you have to change the grip or your stance or just a stroke?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Just had to do with the stroke. I was just hitting up on it a little bit more, getting the ball rolling.

Q. Can we get details on those break-through birdies on the par-5s, please.
BROOKS KOEPKA: Well, it was nice to finally make one. Yesterday my caddie was cheering when I made a par on one of them (smiling). He kind of went nuts today when I made a birdie. First one? 13. Finally hit that fairway. We had a perfect number. Just hit it a little right of the hole and chipped it up to two feet and made it. But it just comes down to putting the ball in the fairway. For some reason, I just haven't been, I guess, as confident or I'm seeing a little bit more the trouble than I have, and you look at these guys, Rory, for example, just driver everywhere, not afraid of it. That's more the attitude I went in with today to try to do that, and I have hit good drives on 15 the last two days, just trying to free it up a little bit.

Q. What did you hit into there?
BROOKS KOEPKA: I think today we had about 265 hole, hybrid there, left bunker. Just putting it in the fairway is a big deal out here. You don't want to be -- especially on 15 and 13.

Q. Did you finish at FSU?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, yeah. I went all four years.

Q. (Off microphone.)
BROOKS KOEPKA: I do not. Thanks for reminding me.

Q. Who is kind of in your age group? Jordan the other day was talking about the class of '11, the high school class. Who would be kind of the guys that you went through junior stuff with?
BROOKS KOEPKA: Patrick Reed, Fowler was a year ahead of me. I'm trying to think. Harris is a year older than me. I'm trying to think now. But, I mean, we have played against all these guys through college, everything. You know, it feels like we have been playing against each other for about eight years now.

Q. Who was the guy in college when you were going through?
BROOKS KOEPKA: That's hard. I don't know. That's a good question. I know it was Pete when we were in Junior Golf, but in college, there was a couple guys floating in and out. Alabama always had a good school. Bud Cauley, guys like that.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297